


Fairest of Them All

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, No Magic AU, modern day AU, town fair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 06:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10611603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: Prompt: "I wanted to go on the ferris wheel, but there has to be two people to a cart, come on, let’s go - oh wait, are we stuck at the top?"





	

Mr. Gold was surveying the scene, the glaring neon lights hurting his eyes and the scent of fried food making him sneer. The air was humid and sticky, and the presence of every Storybrooke resident was not helping the heat situation. The carnival workers had spent two days setting up, and now the field was an explosion of color, fanfare, and people being ripped off. He was about to turn around and leave, not intending to spend any money on tickets for the poorly assembled rides, when someone called his name. And not just any someone, but the dangerously friendly librarian, Belle French.

“Mr. Gold!” repeated, walking towards him. “Hey!”

“Good evening, Ms. French.”

She smiled at him. She had the horrible habit of smiling at him whenever she saw him, for reasons he could not figure out. She would even go so far as to have a conversation with him, on literature and the state of tourism in Storybrooke and everything in between. The kind librarian was wearing a red checkered dress, looking far too beautiful for a dingy town event like this. “I didn’t think this would really be your scene,” Belle said, motioning at their surroundings.

“It’s not,” he said rolling his eyes, looking around at the obnoxious rides and signs for various fried sweets and opportunities to lose all your money trying to win a stuffed animal. “I just wanted to see what the city was wasting money on this summer.”

Belle shook her head, “People are having fun, it’s not a waste!”

“They’re eating fried Oreos and riding those horrid contraptions that have no safety code. We’re likely to be sued when someone ends up dying of a heart attack.”

Belle clucked. “That’s a very cynical outlook, Mr. Gold.”

He shrugged. “It’s the honest outlook, Ms. French.”

She blew a strand of hair out of her face, glancing behind him. “Do you wanna go on the Ferris Wheel?”

Sensing Gold’s alarm, she continued, “It’s okay if you don’t, but I came with Ruby and Victor and they ditched me to wait in line for this bungee jump thing. My stomach can’t handle that. And you have to have two to ride the Ferris wheel, and…”

As she trailed off, he looked at the man in the single rider line that Belle would presumably have to ride with if he declined to ride with her. It was Keith Nottingham, a regular at the Rabbit Hole and a fine example of a dirtbag. 

“I… don’t know,” Gold finally said, staring at the top of the Ferris Wheel, and swallowing nervously. It wasn’t that he was scared of the ride, but he’d be in such close proximity to Belle that he’d likely blurt out something stupid, and then she’d never talked to him again. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but enjoy when she talked to him. Belle was like a breath of fresh air in this small, foggy town. But would she talk to him again if he said no to her now?

“Mr. Gold!” Belle said, sounding shocked. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms against her chest. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”

_ I’m afraid of myself, Ms. French. _

“Of course not,” he said quickly, trying to sound confident. “I can go on it with you.”

Belle reached into her purse, producing a neat stack of the red tickets. “I’ve got the tickets covered. I didn’t think Ruby and Victor would be so quick to ditch.”

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” she shrugged, walking with him towards the Ferris Wheel. As they waited in line, she took his arm, startling him with her touch, but he tried not to show it, standing up a little straighter. They didn’t talk in line, Belle was chatting with the girl in front of them, presumably someone she knew from the library. When the angry-looking employee with a nametag reading “Leroy” pointed at them and to an empty cart, they followed his silent order, settling in as he checked that the safety bar worked.

As the machine began to crank, Belle hummed happy. “Here we go!” she said, swinging legs back and forth. Gold looked up, desperately trying not to focus on how close she was to him. She “ooh”-ed and “aah”-ed like a child, pointing out the things she could see to him. He simply nodded, smiling a little at her excitement of being able to make out the library clocktower. Suddenly, and damningly, the machine screeched to a stop.

“Is that… supposed to happen?” he asked, peering down at the workers, who seemed puzzled, poking at the control board.

“I don’t think so,” Belle said, looking at him for the first time. “At least we’re at the very top, with the best view. The sun’s almost set, we can still see everything.”

Leave it to Belle to make the best of a frustrating situation. “Hopefully it doesn’t last very long,” he muttered.

Belle sighed. “Is being here with me really so bad? You didn’t say a word on the ride up.”

How terribly she’d misunderstood, and he tried to fix his blunder. “No, Ms. French, it’s not you,” he insisted. “I’m just…. Shy.”

“Shy? You? The feared landlord, never one without something to say?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

He glanced at her. “I don’t want to say something stupid.”

Belle seemed to pause at that, suddenly examining her fingernails, the chipped light blue polish. “I can understand that. I normally just keep talking and pretend I’m not nervous.”

They sat in silence for a moment, before he asked, “How are things at the library?”

“Good enough, I suppose. It hasn’t burned down yet.”

“I’ve noticed,” he said, and smiled. “Excellent job keeping the library from going down in flames, Ms. French.”

It was getting darker, but he could’ve sworn she was blushing. “Do you - have any family?” she asked suddenly, biting her lip afterward, like she wanted to take it back.

He bristled, not expecting that question. “There was a son,” he said, after debating what to say for a moment in his head. 

“ _ Was _ ?” she asked gently, the confusion in her voice clear.

“I divorced his mother when he was very young. His visits got fewer and far between as he grew older. I rarely see him now. His name’s Neal.”

Belle watched him, wide-eyed. “I had no idea…”

“Not many people do,” he said, standing at the view of the city’s buildings. 

She took a deep breath. “I’ve just wondered, because you’re always at that shop.”

“Stalking me, Ms. French?”

“Belle. And no, but I walk by on my way to and from work, and your car is always there. You must be lonely.”

The last sentence slipped out, a careful afterthought. She must have thought of him when they weren’t together, pondering if he was married and if he was, why did he stay cooped up in a pawn shop? There was a note of sympathy in her voice, and Gold wasn’t sure he liked it. He thought about biting back that she must be lonely, too, abandoned by her “friends” at the town fair, but decided not to. “I’ve gotten used to solitude, Belle.”

It was the first time he’d said her first name aloud, and he liked the way it rolled off his lips. She nodded. “I suppose you had to. So since your ex-wife, there’s been no one…?”

“Correct.”

And now she knew the truth, that he was a miserable man without company the last twenty years. He was certain they’d part ways after this Ferris Wheel finally got them back down to the ground, and she’d never bat her eyelashes at him again. This was some strange way for her to collect intellect on him, to gain power over him, to learn his weaknesses and leave him. 

Belle settled back. “It’s a wonder,” she said. He must’ve looked flummoxed, because she continued, “that nobody snapped you up.”

“I doubt I’m much of a catch,” he said stiffly.

“You’re well-educated, quick-witted, classy, and handsome, Mr. Gold. Don’t doubt yourself.”

Perhaps it was the fumes in the air or the sudden darkness of the air that was making them both brave. “I’m currently sitting in the middle of a town fair, stuck on a Ferris Wheel, with nothing to say to the beautiful woman sitting next to me because I’m terrified I’ll scare her away,” he admitted.

“You think I’m beautiful?” she asked softly.

“Beautiful, passionate, intelligent, among other things.”

Belle seemed slightly flattered, slightly frustrated. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

He chuckled. “I’m used to rejection, sweetheart.”

Her hand suddenly covered his. “Let’s stop being silly and just -”

As soon as she said this, the ride started moving. Belle lost her train of thought, removing her hand and grinning. “We’re moving!” 

“So we are,” he said, gripping the safety bar. It seemed Leroy was eager to get the once-stranded passengers off the ride. Before he knew it, they were back on solid ground, walking off the platform and back into the rush of the crowded fair. For a moment, it seemed like neither of them knew what to say. “Ms. French - Belle,” he said. “Would you care for a funnel cake? I haven’t had one in years. My treat, since you paid for the Ferris Wheel ride.”

“What about my arteries?” she asked, her tone teasing. “I thought you were too good for fried dough.”

Gold shrugged. “Once in awhile won’t kill me. Something new would be nice.”

“You’re right,” she said, slipping her hand into his, holding it, her fingers perfectly intertwined in his. “It’s good to try new things.”

He started when  _ he _ realized he was the new thing she wanted to try. Still, he followed her to the funnel cake line, and realized he would follow Belle French anywhere she wanted to go with him. Gold made a mental note to vote “yes” when asked if he supported the funding for the town fair next year.


End file.
